Franklin County, NC Building Safety: Plumbing Permits (2026)

Franklin County folds plumbing regulation into the same adoption clause that covers most of its building codes. Sec. 8-19(b) states that the North Carolina administrative, building, energy, fire, gas, mechanical, plumbing, and rehabilitation codes, together with all future modifications, are adopted by reference as amended by the state building code council through the date of adoption of the Code. Because the whole family of technical codes is adopted in one sentence, a plumbing permit is reviewed against the current NC Plumbing Code the same way a building or mechanical permit would be, without a separate Franklin County plumbing chapter to consult.

Sec. 8-19(a) puts the department of planning and inspections in charge of enforcing every one of those adopted codes, and the same office handles the paperwork: Sec. 8-22(b) requires the permit fee to be paid when the plumbing application is filed, using the fee schedule the board of commissioners sets, and Sec. 8-22(c) gives the resulting permit a six-month life before it expires if plumbing work has not started. Sec. 8-19(c) is explicit that this ordinance applies to all unincorporated areas of the county, meaning plumbing permits inside Louisburg, Youngsville, Franklinton, Bunn, or Centerville run through that municipality's own process unless the town has opted into the county ordinance by resolution and an interlocal memorandum of understanding.